h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Whats in the gumbo ?

Well one pot is seafood gumbo courtesy of my uncle. The other is chicken and andouille(sausage) which I made. There is some rice to go with them. I use file' instead of okra. Does the camp shop carry Tabasco?

Espharoth isn't listed because without an opposable thumb he has difficulty signing things. Until now he's made himself a nest of sorts in the corner of the Campsite Carpark, close to our Pitch. There's plenty of room this time of year, but if the Carpark gets busy he'll move into a little clearing in the woods he's been looking at a couple of times.

Dreamweaver and Bagheera have shared everything for the last 20 years or so, and currently share Pitch 6 and a common 'logon' - for some reason BBC have frustrated several attempts by Dreamweaver to register her own ID .

What sort of sausage is andouille, then

Like chorizo - dry salty and spicy?
Is it a medister/cumberland-type (in a long skin, sold raw)?
Or more like the German smoked sausage, sold cooked but can be eaten either as they are or heated and used as a main course?

Sounds interesting (especially to someone who loves his food)

As with most varieties of dragon, Espharoth is almost 100% vegetarian. He needs to supplement his diet occasionally by crunching a few nuggets of coal, coke or similar combustibles when his fires get low, but he knows himself how often he needs to go off and scavenge for his 'fuel supplement' Generally, he goes off to 'charge' his breath about once a week - how long it takes him depends really on how far he has to fly to find a suitable supply source, and whether or not he has to do a bit of digging to get at it or make a modest raid on a depot somewhere . . .

No...but I have a bottle here...

* Lifts hat *

I'll have the seafood one please...

I'm vegetarian...

Andouille is a spicy pork sausage sold in links, usually found in the freezer. I think it is different from the regular smoked pork sausage here.

Help yourself to the food and drinks* placing stack of plates and flatware on the table.

There is a big salad if Esparoth is hungry. I have a sack of charcoal I bought for the fire. Since Esparoth is providing the flames he can nibble the charcoal if he likes. It is a clean burning variety without additives.

I thought Esparoth had pitch 11 to himself.

Same here...

*The backpack moves a little by itself. A sleepy meow-yawn from inside a cat pokes her head out of the top flap, looks around hops out and decides to introduce herself to everyone. Her name is Xena. She spends all day on top of my computer monitor, the television or any warm spot she can find.

* after searching through huge cajun cookbook

Andouille: A coarse ground pork, smoked sausage, low in fat,
heavily seasoned with garlic, cayenne, thyme, and black pepper and salt.

A favorite ingredient in several recipes by chef John Folse. And, many other Louisiana chefs.

Sounds t'riffic!! This must be the sausage referred to in a cookbook of mine called "Round the World in 80 dishes (or maybe a few more) "

Dreamweaver tried to pitch a supply tent on pitch 11 because it was just beside the cave which Espharoth has finally decided to move in to.

Dreamweaver occasionally sleep in the bubble tent beside the supply tent, if f.ex. Bagheera is molting and she gets cat hairs in her tea. This usually put her in a rotten mood for days.

I don't like cat hair in my tea either. I wish the would use a spoon when she wants to stir my tea.

I found Dreamweaver's entry on pitch 11. If you try re posting it with Dreamweaver in the subject line she would probably be added to the list. Or maybe Esparoth .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A658848

::temperature is cold outside it has even snowed in Louisiana::
Dragon fire starting is much appreciated.

* leaves out some combustibles for Esparoth so his flame doesn't burn out... also leaves out a bowl of veggie soup and carrot sticks for Esparoth...

Should be cooking again in a day or two if anyone wants to stop by. Until then it is warmed up leftovers. And, of course,

::the fire pit outside keeps the tent sufficiently warm. Tent is full of blankets and pillows

Hi all, campsite manager here (in the loose sense of the word)

Anyone can set up a pitch by starting a new thread. Instructions are on the campsite page...

If I miss any new threads and forget to add people, drop me a note at my home page.

Oh and please help to promote the campsite by inviting people here and adding links on your homepage if you can...

What's gumbo? Sorry if I sound ignorant.

Gumbo is a stew that that is very popular in Louisiana. It is thickened with a *roux and either file' or okra. The most popular kind is seafood. Chicken and sausage is another variety. I also make a vegetable gumbo, which isn't very common, but I was cooking for a vegetarian restaurant when the recipe was created.

It is usually served over a scoop of rice then seasoned with tabasco sauce.

Would you like some?

*Roux is a paste made of flour and oil that is cooked until desired shade of brownness is achieved. Cajun food calls for a darker roux. Creole food uses the lighter shades.

Hi, Evangeline!
Is there any French influence on Cajun or Creole cuisine?
Dreamweaver tried a recipe the other day from a Normandy cookbook she dips into occasionally. This was a recipe she had never tried before, a vegetable soup. Although the ingredients & quantities were followed EXACTLY (and I MEAN exactly - as one does when trying a recipe for the first time!!) the result had the consistency of a thick STEW rather than a soup. Also, praies be that we could run out in the garden and supplement it with fresh home-grown herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley) because without them it would have been very bland and disappointingly lacking in flavour . . .

I'd love some, thanks, as long as I can take it back to my own pitch. It's getting late...

Hi Bagheera! say Hello to Dreamweaver for me,please.

Sorry to hear the recipe was not what you were expecting. I am not familiar with the flavors of Normandy. Provence is more popular, at least in cookbooks here. I love rosemary in stews and soups.

Cajun cooking is a result of the French who came to Louisiana in the late 1700's having to figure out how to cook the things indigenous to this area. Sweet potatos, okra and other vegetables. We have a really long growing season too.

Creole cooking is a mixture. French is in that mixture as well as Spanish. Tomatoes are more prominent in Creole cooking than in Cajun. Cajun cooking is usually heavier on pepper(cayenne).